15
BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW // VOL. 2022 NO. 2
EXECUTIVE BRIEFING
through the process," Ms. Martinez said. "They want to feel
like their time is valued and that they are treated fairly and are
appreciated throughout the entire process."
Also important in today's recruiting environment is
"meeting people where they are," Ms. Martinez said. This
involves a more personalized approach to recruiting that
involves building a trusted relationship through repeated,
personalized communication. "I start building a conversation
with them and I start building a relationship to understand
what's important [to each candidate]. What are you looking
for? And really starting to understand what their personal
treasure is," Ms. Martinez said. "I am likely to have a much
better chance of placing someone in an opportunity because
they trust me. That trust exists because I took the time to get
to know them and find out what's important to them, not
just tell them all the things that I think are great about our
organization. That approach doesn't work."
Heartland Dental enhances retention through
data-driven personalization
To enhance retention, Heartland Dental is leveraging many
of the same practices for existing employees that it uses
to recruit new talent. In particular, Heartland Dental and
the supported dental offices focus on flexibility, personal
development and growth.
Ms. Martinez emphasized that in addition to a comprehensive
compensation model designed to help each dentist achieve
their personal and professional goals and long-term financial
security, Heartland Dental is also intensely focused on helping
each individual "be your highest and best self, no matter who
you are, no matter what role you take in the organization. The
foundation of everything we do is to help you be your highest
and best self, every single day."
Heartland Dental provides mentorship along with investing
in learning pathways for continuing education opportunities.
"I want to help staff see what their future could look like,
because of the long-term commitment and investment that
we have made in them," Ms. Martinez said. For Heartland
Dental employees and the employees at the supported
offices, this investment includes flexible career pathways
based on each person's unique situation and interests. This
flexibility and personalization makes Heartland Dental a
place where individuals want to join, develop, progress and
stay long term.
Also, as with Heartland Dental's recruiting process, the
organization collects and uses data to help track and manage
talent retention. "We have a system that allows us to capture
every piece of data within the organization," Ms. Martinez
said. Heartland Dental plans to further increase its use of
data to better understand how employees are feeling and to
identify and fix problems quickly as they arise.
Conclusion
In today's dynamic, highly competitive labor market, relying
on traditional practices to recruit and retain top talent will
not work. Instead, Heartland Dental is thinking outside the
box to acquire top talent for itself and the supported offices.
This involves using a data-intensive approach that provides
insights about the labor market and tracks each candidate's
progress in the recruiting process. The organization also
emphasizes flexibility and building personal relationships
with employees.
After a candidate joins Heartland Dental or one of the
supported offices, the organization focuses on helping each
individual become their best self. This involves mentorship,
significant investments in training and development,
flexibility and personalized pathways developed specifically
for each person.
To become top employers and attract top talent,
organizations must simultaneously leverage technology
and build relationships by providing staff flexibility,
personalization and opportunities for growth — this is
Heartland Dental's approach. n
Heartland Dental is the nation's largest dental support organization providing non-clinical, administrative support
services. What started from the entrepreneurial spirit of Rick Workman, DMD, with his single dental practice, has
evolved into affiliating with over 2,400 doctors in more than 1,600 offices across 38 states. The company is majority
owned by KKR, a leading global investment firm. For additional information, please visit heartland.com. Follow us
on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
